A traditional way of eating leftover dumplings is, cube them up and pan fry them in a bit of duck/pork fat that is usually left over, and once fried you crack in an egg or two and scramble it Recommend eating it with pickles or pickled beetroot, it’s delicious
Wow, I can't believe Chef John actually made something super traditional from my home! I never looked up how to make them, because they are super available basically everywhere, but I sure do know how to eat them :D And I can't recommend enough to pair them with Gulash (and a glass of cold czech beer, or few of them), however it goes together with SO SO many dishes. And Chef, the best way to reheat them is to steam them over water for literally two minutes, that way they still retain their absorption powers. And, when you don't have any sauce left, but still some dumplings, it is quite popular to fry them cubed on lard (not butter) or on dry pan, when they are browned pour in beaten egg and basically make scrabled eggs with them. There is so many Bohemian dishes almost unknown in the world that are to die for, but not for everyone! We don't joke around with making the dishes healthy :D
Yes, yes, yes ... Boemische Knoedel mit Gulasch und Sauerkraut ... I grew up close to the Czech border and this has always been one of our favorite Czech dishes ... and I have no idea if this is still political correct to say ... but the Czech boys were always the cutest ... during my childhood in the 70s ... 😄
I’m making it right now for my beef short ribs in a few hours after they get out of crockpot. Thanks for the other ideas. I feel these will become a new staple in my house. Great tip to steam them for a 2 minutes. I was wondering how to heat them back up. I can use the Zojirushi steamer it should work perfectly or my wok bamboo steamer. 👍
@@th0r904 theyr not good like that bbro, we eat the only with specific dishes that have sauce or saukraut, and if u want to warm them u put them in a plastic bad with a sprinke of water and put them to microwave oven for like 30 secs
@@niag.3332 did you ever have a dish with dumplings, and then a gravy of milk..tomatoes or tomato soup and cloves? My grandma made this often when my Dad was growing up but he doesn't have a recipe, but who did way back in the day. I'd love to make it for him.
Oh! Chef John, am I happy you chose knedliky! For once, I can truly say I am a "connaisseur", since my mother was born in Prague, and I grew up on the stuff. She would make them at least once a week. As you said, czech cuisine usually involves thick gravy and fat pieces of meat. But instead of forming the dough into a loaf, my mother would spoon the it into boiling water, so we would have little balls of dumpling bread. Braised pork and sauerkraut with knedlikies is divine. My mother also had a secret spinach sauce, very thick and rich, that's simply delicious with those. Boy did you bring back memories! Thank you for those. 💗
Yes to spooning the dough into boiling water, that's the way my mother would make them. We would have these with chicken in a sour cream based white sauce. .
Now you have to make the beef tenderloin roast with root vegetable and cream sauce, chef John! Because THAT is what pairs best with these bad bois. Ask your Czech friend - it's "svíčková na smetaně" Also, knedlíky can be re-heated in a steaming basket or in a microwave-safe plastic bag in a microwave.
Awwww, knedlíky! They go with everything. With guláš or a killer svíčková. You made my day showing a classic from old good Czech cuisine. There are tons of different knedlíky. The potatoe ones are awesome too
At my family, we used to fry leftover knedliky with ham and cheese coated in egg and breadcrumbs. Its great and tasty, but its kinda strange for some people.
In the early 2000s, I lived in Slovakia, the poorer, slightly less fashionable (but beautiful) cousin of the Czech Republic. In fact, I was in Bratislava - the same place the "Two Wild and Crazy Guys" were from. While I did get tired of eating cabbage in virtually everything, I never tired of these dumplings and ubiquitous Solvak gravy dishes. I'm going to pick up some Wondra flour and make these tonight to serve along side the awesome Salisbury Steak recipe you did. Thanks!
This meal changed everything. This meal cured my depression, my anxiety, it gave me hope, it gave me motivation, it gave me good mental health, it gave me house, money, a job, friends. Ever since i started to eat this every morning i was happy. Now im chilling in my luxury apartment in dubai . Man life is good. Thank you man!
Everyone should make these immediately. If you've never had a Czech bread dumpling, you are in for a treat. They really are one of the great accompaniments for a stew.
@@logseman5959 i never understand why dont the restaurant tell tourist how to eat those things atleast when they see a weird order, i saw some on youtube like dumplings with schnitzel etc..:D we would never eat them with jam :D and we would never have them alone, you have to eat it so u always drown it in the sauce, theyr fluffy and made for that, to soak up the sauce. but also a great light acompanion for the heavy sauces and meats, classic dumplings in this normal state are always with either saucy dish or saurkraut dish, anything else., i aso dont like that its called simply saukraut, because tbh its more like saukraut sauce, you have to fry onions first, and then add saukraut which is with caraway seeds, flour, salt pepper and sugar / honey and thicken that a bit, so its more like saukraut sauce as i said
As a Czech, I'm very pleased our cuisine made it on Food Wishes. On the other hand, I have winced more than once while watching you cook and slice them, chef John.
@@leavingitblank9363 first of all I would like to thank you for introducing me to the word "vagueposting" which is new to me. Second, bread dumplings are usually made with cubes of stale bread rolls mixed into the dough, but since chef John is in America, he could have used regular stale white bread, which he decidedly didn't. It's not a problem for me, because when in a pinch and no stale rolls are on hand I do without as well. Others might have a different opinion. Second, bread dumplings always need an egg. It helps the dough bind together and prevents what chef John called "expansion lines (or breaks, I can't remember). The yolk also adds a little bit of colour. Third, placing cooked dumplings on non-porous surface will always result in soggy/slimy underside. Fourth, chef John is using a kitchen twine to cut them... That's way too thick! A regular white sewing thread is the way to go. And lastly, that is nothing that chef John got wrong, even all purpose flour can be used. The texture is a little bit different but most people, even if they're used to the real thing wouldn't know.
@@langlangcech Thanks! (And glad I was helpful 😁) I was thinking of making these (since I made the chicken dish already), but didn't want to make a special trip to the store for the specialty flour.
Carraway seeds are a great thing to add to the dumpling dough before cooking. I'm personally not a fan of biting into a whole seed, but if you ground it up like peppercorns, it gives it an amazing flavor that pairs well with duck or chicken.
Ohh heaven on earth! My Czech friend would invite is over for dinner and serve an amazing meat with gravy with these dumplings cut with string. Sometimes she made venison sometimes beef. The best dish we had was when we went to Czech with her and my friend's mom made us dinner. Nothing like meat with a good gravy with the dumplings to soak up that meat/gravy. Now just gotta find the meat gravy recipe befitting the knedliky.
In the Czech Republic, "all purpose flour" is definitely not used (I would say that most Czechs have no idea what it is.) We usually use so-called semi-coarse, or rather coarse wheat flour. Thanks for your perfect cooking approach and style .. :)
That's why he's substituting half of it with that semolina-like product. Semi-course or course flower pretty much doesn't exist outside Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and perhaps Germany ...
@@TomisaburoRMizugawa the process Chef John described reminds me of Indian atta. It's flour milled in stones, which generate heat, which in turn damage the starch and protein in the flour. Sounds similar to baked ground flour, no?
@@zesky6654 Good to know if I ever manage to come to Macedonia :) I guess it's probably not uncommon in most Slavic countries. When I lived in London I used to buy it in a Polish shop, it was called mąka krupczatka (I think) and it was more semi-coarse than coarse ...
Another way to use the leftovers is to cut them into cubes before reheating them as you did in butter, and then adding beaten eggs and stirring it all together until it sets, with salt and pepper
I can’t believe you made these! My grandparents used to make these dumplings using actual white bread & served them on New Year’s day with pork loin. The recipe died with them, until now! Can’t wait to try this!!!
I had these growing up on the farm. We made them with sauerkraut or tomato sauce . My favourite was plum dumpling. They cooked the dumpling with a plum in the middle then rolled in ground poppyseed and sugar. OMG they were good!
My grandmother made those, however she steamed the dough that was on a old pie tin that she poked a few holes thru. I guess a steamer basket would work perfect for this, except I forgot about this awesome bread. We used to eat it with Kohlrabi Gemuese and mashed potatoes. Might need to find me some Kohlrabi for old time sakes.
I used to roast pork chops on a bed of equal parts of sauerkraut, red onion sliced , and shaved kohlrabi with 1 grated apple. Also garlic and caraway seed , and lots of pepper. I'd put it in the oven on 275°F when I left for work ( oops, covered) and it was fantastic when I got home.
My grandmother steamed the dough in a tea towel over braising gemuese and sausage. (Sometimes carrot, rutabaga, cabbage, or kohlrabi) always delicious. In the morning she would slice the leftover dumpling and fry it in butter until lightly browned and served with canned fruits for breakfast. Omg 😱 so amazing.
I grew up eating these with pork chops (or loin roast) and sauerkraut. Thanks for sharing this recipe, Chef John! I will certainly given this a try soooon!
Oh my stars, I almost had teary eyes watching chef John make something from my homeland. And judging by the comments, I'm not the only one. :D We're always so happy when our tiny country gets some recognition. =)
Absolutely will try the string method, I remember my Polish grandmother (Babcia, I actually thought that was her name for years) doing it that way. Thanks Chef
Literally perfect timing! I was just looking up how to make these last night. There’s an awesome Czech restaurant in my hometown that serves these with goulash, and since I moved away I’ve been craving it. Couldn’t find any recipes, but this looks promising! Thank you again chef John you legend!
Oh, what joy this video brought my family! We moved to the mountains of Central Europe (the Ore mountains), and these dumplings have become a favorite! You nailed it, CJ, when you highlighted the contradiction of moist and absorbent. Not only do we eat these under Goulasch (or simply fried in butter like you showed at the end), but we also put them under a fabulous pickle soup called Soljanka. My 7 year old son (big fan of Chef John) lovingly refers to that presentation style "Farting Soljanka" because as the soup fills the holes of the bread, the air is expressed. These dumplings are filling, and stretches a meal beautifully to feed a lot of people with only a little stew meat. It's so exciting to see you showing off these traditional recipes! Thank you again, Chef John. ❤️
Not a bad try, in Czechia the flour is coarser and usually there are more/larger bubbles than in yours. In Czechia we warm up knedliky over steam, not in a pan. Next level are potato-dough dumplings. And dumplings with embedded bread cubes (about the size of a crouton). My mom and other Czech friends complained that it is difficult to make good knedlik in US, probably because of the flour. Visit Czechia one day and taste the real deal, you will not regret.
I've never heard anyone say 'skewer' the way Chef John does. It's like "skiurh". It always catches me off-guard, the same way it does when he pronounces 'syrup' as "sirp". The man is a ball of idiosyncrasies, and I love that for us!
Right?! That and "fresssshhhhly ground." Most people would either use no emphasis, or put the emphasis on the vowel. It catches me off-guard, too, and I've watched practically all of these. ;'D
@@jennhoff03 I asked my sister, a professional linguist, what sort of dialect she thought he has, and she said "some people are just weird." She said it's called an idiolect when one person has their own unique way of speaking, for no good reason.
@@itzakpoelzig330 That's so interesting! Thank you for telling me that. I wonder what your sister thinks of my biggest linguistic pet peeve. In Utah & California I hear people turn "-ing" into "-een." I call it Kaley Cuoco Syndrome. We all learn that i-n-g makes and "ing" sound in school, so I'm baffled that so many people just decide halfway through their lives to start pronouncing it differently.
@@jennhoff03 Ha! I don't think I've heard that one yet, or at least I haven't noticed it. Maybe I'll go watch some clips of Kaley Cuoco to see what you mean...
Chef John doing KNEDLÍKY?! this made my day and I feel so proud to be a Czech lol... :D also believe it or not I sometimes actually fry them in butter as you did, even though it is not something that is usually done...
I have been looking for this recipe for literally decades! It was a favorite dish at a tiny family-run restaurant in Cambridge, back in the 70's. Now I can enjoy it again. Thank you!
God, I’ve been watching Chef John for almost ten years now. Chef, your videos, your presentation were a bright light for me in a dark time. I still continue to laugh and learn at your videos!
Chef John, all I really wanted for my birthday was a freakishly small wooden spoon. Instead I received the most touching wonderful wishes from the alpha and omega of my bodega. Thank you for the many many gifts you've given me which I am so happy to share with my friends and family. I have dumplings to go make now. Much love. P.
My family in the USA has Czech ancestry. We never made this kind of knedliky. We riced potatoes and mixed them with flour, then boiled them. They tasted like potatoes. We paired them with roast pork and sauerkraut. We covered it in gravy. It tastes great! I e made the bread dumplings too, and they’re awesome! They taste great sliced and toasted too!
I had these several times when I was visiting the Czech Republic. I didn't think anything of them other than "wow these sure are carbs I'm eating with my delicious food". And it turns out that was exactly the correct reaction!
My dad was Czech and my mom was German. Mom made these in a football shape, and served them with either Rouladen or Saurbraten. I can taste them, watching this video, and may just have to pull out mom's old recipe and make them very soon! Oh, and dad pronounced it "Kned-licky"
There’s an old czech pub near my house in London, UK. Used to be a place for czech soldiers to hang during ww2. They serve the best bread dumplings with duck or braised pork and sauerkraut. I find myself craving these about 4 times a week so now I can finally make them at home and stop giving the pub my life savings.
Also, to leave a bit more serious comment: My mom makes the dough softer, then she makes it into a round shape so that it fits the pot better, and she steams it on a rack in the pot. I saw the toothpick pricking method for the first time in my life - our knedliky never went soggy or anything. We also use the string cutting method (or just a chef's knife when I am feeling lazy).
If you make the dough with more fluffy and delicate texture steaming is way to go and traditional I think. The shape Chef John made is also very traditional but total pain to steam or cook at home in a pot so it is totally OK to make multiple shorter pieces.
Sir, you've done it right! They look as fantastic as they should. Btw. standard way to reheat them is over boiling water on a steamer insert. Your method looks quite sacrilegious but suspiciously delicious.
Thank you for making! My family is of Czech heritage but I’ve never had these in America. I’ve seen these in tourist videos and was baffled at these bread looking dumplings. Now I understand! I hope to try one day the food from my family background.
I absolutely love Czech dumplings! When in Prague, I only get meals with these dumplings (usually goulashes). The texture is so unique but I rarely see them here in the US. I have heard they’re basically steamed bread but appreciate your recipe.
yes, one kind is basicaly steamed bread, then there are others which are made so that u cut already baked bread into cubes and make steamed dumpling out of that with egg and parsley, those are super delicious too, try them next time you here :) its called Karlovarské knedlíky (carlsbad dumplings)
Always a special treat when you post a new video, Chef. Your videos inspired me to start cooking early into highschool, I've been out of culinary school for a few years now and love every minute of it. Thanks John.
The way that these were described to me by my czech friend is that they were developed by peasants who needed to figure out how to reused bread scraps/old bread that wasnt palatable. So they would cut or tear the undesirable bread into pretty tiny pieces (between 1cm and 1inch cubes) and throw those in the dumpling dough. Between the boiling in salt water and smothering with gravy/sauces/braising liquid, they became filling and tastey- way better than just throwing out the old bread. Again, this is anecdotal at best, but according to him, that is what knedliky was originally made for: to repurpose stale bread and make it good again.
Ive been following Chef John's cooking adventures for years and its beyond amazing to see him do a recipe from my homeland and not only that he also got the spelling and pronunciation right !
Dear Chef , nicely done for your first time try. The most popular pairing for Knedlik is a dish called Svickova na smetane . It’s beef tenderloin in a root vegetable and cream sauce. It’s quite time consuming and labour intensive, but the result is wonderful. Silky, soft and very flavourful. It’s arguably the pride of Czech cuisine.
These latest videos make me so happy! I have Czech heritage, but because my great-grandfather's parents died when he was young, a lot of the recipes and traditions were lost. I've found, though, that I really like Czech and Eastern European food, so I love finding recipes to try.
Oh I cannot wait to make these! We used to get these from a Bohemian restaurant years ago before the owners retired. I trust that your recipe will be every but as great! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
She uses all of the other ingredients except the yeast and flour. She just tears them up like for stuffing. I add chopped cooked bacon and alittle onion to mine wait till they have cooled and fry them just like chef John did at the end of the video. Yummy!
@@SvobodovaEva kind of yeah, I think the nuance is what binds everything together - for "houskove knedliky" it's still milk + flour, whereas for "karlovarske" it's whipped egg whites
The last time I enjoyed these dumplings was at a now-long-closed restaurant here in Omaha that specialized in serving a half of roast duck with kraut and these dumplings all smothered in gravy...it was absolutely DIVINE! Now I can make my own! Thank you, Chef John!
Thanks John! I have made a version of your beef goulash and been looking for the recipie for knedlicky on one sunday (no market open to buy loaf of that) to use them with said goulash. Only one Czech lady made a proper one on CZcams but now I got full package and your recipie as well :D after 15 years your chanel is complete :D
Thank you so much for this recipe. Bread dumplings have always been one of my favorite side dishes. Being a native of Chicago I've been enjoying bread dumplings served with pork roast my entire life, but I never knew how to make them myself.
My mother was Slovak and made these to go with pot roast & gravy, or even her chicken paprikash. She left two strings under them and over the edge of the pot to lift them with. Then cut them after cooling a bit. Light and tender!
In my family we make a holiday version where the milk gets scalded and then cooled with butter, and we add chunks of day old bread toasted in more butter to the dough
Oh my gosh. We had gravy bread when I was a kid! I had forgotten all about it. Mom was first generation English/Danish. Seems a lot of people ate gravy on bread during the depression. It’s so yummy :)
Years ago had these in a great restaurant in Seattle. They weren’t on the menu, but one of our party was friends with the chef/owner. Superb is an understatement to how good they were.
A traditional way of eating leftover dumplings is, cube them up and pan fry them in a bit of duck/pork fat that is usually left over, and once fried you crack in an egg or two and scramble it
Recommend eating it with pickles or pickled beetroot, it’s delicious
That sounds just so eastern european
or with Sauerkraut!
Knedle ve vajíčku
this is the way
@@supermegaultrazdivek s kilom kečupu na vrch, yes, please 😊
Wow, I can't believe Chef John actually made something super traditional from my home! I never looked up how to make them, because they are super available basically everywhere, but I sure do know how to eat them :D And I can't recommend enough to pair them with Gulash (and a glass of cold czech beer, or few of them), however it goes together with SO SO many dishes. And Chef, the best way to reheat them is to steam them over water for literally two minutes, that way they still retain their absorption powers. And, when you don't have any sauce left, but still some dumplings, it is quite popular to fry them cubed on lard (not butter) or on dry pan, when they are browned pour in beaten egg and basically make scrabled eggs with them. There is so many Bohemian dishes almost unknown in the world that are to die for, but not for everyone! We don't joke around with making the dishes healthy :D
Yes, yes, yes ... Boemische Knoedel mit Gulasch und Sauerkraut ... I grew up close to the Czech border and this has always been one of our favorite Czech dishes ... and I have no idea if this is still political correct to say ... but the Czech boys were always the cutest ... during my childhood in the 70s ... 😄
I’m making it right now for my beef short ribs in a few hours after they get out of crockpot. Thanks for the other ideas. I feel these will become a new staple in my house. Great tip to steam them for a 2 minutes. I was wondering how to heat them back up. I can use the Zojirushi steamer it should work perfectly or my wok bamboo steamer. 👍
Oh yes! This reminds me of the time when I had these with Gulash in Kutna Hora. I licked my plate clean!
@@th0r904 theyr not good like that bbro, we eat the only with specific dishes that have sauce or saukraut, and if u want to warm them u put them in a plastic bad with a sprinke of water and put them to microwave oven for like 30 secs
@@niag.3332 did you ever have a dish with dumplings, and then a gravy of milk..tomatoes or tomato soup and cloves? My grandma made this often when my Dad was growing up but he doesn't have a recipe, but who did way back in the day. I'd love to make it for him.
Oh! Chef John, am I happy you chose knedliky! For once, I can truly say I am a "connaisseur", since my mother was born in Prague, and I grew up on the stuff. She would make them at least once a week. As you said, czech cuisine usually involves thick gravy and fat pieces of meat. But instead of forming the dough into a loaf, my mother would spoon the it into boiling water, so we would have little balls of dumpling bread. Braised pork and sauerkraut with knedlikies is divine. My mother also had a secret spinach sauce, very thick and rich, that's simply delicious with those. Boy did you bring back memories! Thank you for those. 💗
My mom was born in hradek kralove. I live in the US but we've visited the Czech republic many times! Beautiful country!
You wouldn’t be able to give us a better idea about that spinach sauce, would you? That sounds amazing!
Very interested in that secret spinach sauce. That sounds amazing.
I am equally intrigued by the secret spinach sauce. Please do share!
Yes to spooning the dough into boiling water, that's the way my mother would make them. We would have these with chicken in a sour cream based white sauce. .
My Czech/German Canadian mother made this dish to acompany her German Beef Rouladen....Heaven on Earth!
I am curious what kind of flour she used since I have never seen wondra in Canada.
YESSSSS MY CULTURE!!!!
I GREW UP EATING THESE!!
GO GIVE US EVERYTHING FATHER JOHN
I was expecting to see a comment like this 😂
KDEEEE DOMOV MŮŮŮŮŮŮJ...
Now you have to make the beef tenderloin roast with root vegetable and cream sauce, chef John! Because THAT is what pairs best with these bad bois. Ask your Czech friend - it's "svíčková na smetaně"
Also, knedlíky can be re-heated in a steaming basket or in a microwave-safe plastic bag in a microwave.
Awwww, knedlíky! They go with everything. With guláš or a killer svíčková. You made my day showing a classic from old good Czech cuisine. There are tons of different knedlíky. The potatoe ones are awesome too
At my family, we used to fry leftover knedliky with ham and cheese coated in egg and breadcrumbs. Its great and tasty, but its kinda strange for some people.
Pán Ondra, stačí masť cibuľa a vajce... Škoda šunky a syru, v tejto inflačnej dobe, ale aj kedysi!
I wonder if they would make great French Toast.
Aka Knedlíky mit vajíčko
A jeste lepsi jsou Karlovarske knedliky s vajickem ;-)
Just cut them up in small pieces and cook them with eggs .....
This was my FAVOURITE thing growing up! My dad made it all the time before the end of his time came.
In the early 2000s, I lived in Slovakia, the poorer, slightly less fashionable (but beautiful) cousin of the Czech Republic. In fact, I was in Bratislava - the same place the "Two Wild and Crazy Guys" were from. While I did get tired of eating cabbage in virtually everything, I never tired of these dumplings and ubiquitous Solvak gravy dishes. I'm going to pick up some Wondra flour and make these tonight to serve along side the awesome Salisbury Steak recipe you did. Thanks!
Ohhhh that Salisbury steak recipe is one of my favorites; you are an absolute genius for putting these two recipes together!
Great idea! A steak +dumpling would be like having two of them.
thanks for this! don't be afraid to showcase some more czech food! super underrated cuisine
Delicious but unless you have hard physical work every day, quite unhealthy for today's usually sedentary lifestyle
@@jankajonova6583 true, just don’t eat it too much!
This meal changed everything. This meal cured my depression, my anxiety, it gave me hope, it gave me motivation, it gave me good mental health, it gave me house, money, a job, friends. Ever since i started to eat this every morning i was happy. Now im chilling in my luxury apartment in dubai . Man life is good. Thank you man!
Everyone should make these immediately. If you've never had a Czech bread dumpling, you are in for a treat. They really are one of the great accompaniments for a stew.
When I was in Prague many moons ago I remember having them with fruit jam. I concur that they're amazing.
@@logseman5959 i never understand why dont the restaurant tell tourist how to eat those things atleast when they see a weird order, i saw some on youtube like dumplings with schnitzel etc..:D we would never eat them with jam :D and we would never have them alone, you have to eat it so u always drown it in the sauce, theyr fluffy and made for that, to soak up the sauce. but also a great light acompanion for the heavy sauces and meats, classic dumplings in this normal state are always with either saucy dish or saurkraut dish, anything else., i aso dont like that its called simply saukraut, because tbh its more like saukraut sauce, you have to fry onions first, and then add saukraut which is with caraway seeds, flour, salt pepper and sugar / honey and thicken that a bit, so its more like saukraut sauce as i said
@@MrMajsterixx This was before the Czech Republic was in the EU, so I suspect there was little in the way of gentrification going on.
As a Czech, I'm very pleased our cuisine made it on Food Wishes. On the other hand, I have winced more than once while watching you cook and slice them, chef John.
Why not add some helpful pointers instead of vagueposting?
@@leavingitblank9363 first of all I would like to thank you for introducing me to the word "vagueposting" which is new to me.
Second, bread dumplings are usually made with cubes of stale bread rolls mixed into the dough, but since chef John is in America, he could have used regular stale white bread, which he decidedly didn't. It's not a problem for me, because when in a pinch and no stale rolls are on hand I do without as well. Others might have a different opinion.
Second, bread dumplings always need an egg. It helps the dough bind together and prevents what chef John called "expansion lines (or breaks, I can't remember). The yolk also adds a little bit of colour.
Third, placing cooked dumplings on non-porous surface will always result in soggy/slimy underside.
Fourth, chef John is using a kitchen twine to cut them... That's way too thick! A regular white sewing thread is the way to go.
And lastly, that is nothing that chef John got wrong, even all purpose flour can be used. The texture is a little bit different but most people, even if they're used to the real thing wouldn't know.
@@langlangcech Thanks! (And glad I was helpful 😁) I was thinking of making these (since I made the chicken dish already), but didn't want to make a special trip to the store for the specialty flour.
Carraway seeds are a great thing to add to the dumpling dough before cooking. I'm personally not a fan of biting into a whole seed, but if you ground it up like peppercorns, it gives it an amazing flavor that pairs well with duck or chicken.
Ohh heaven on earth! My Czech friend would invite is over for dinner and serve an amazing meat with gravy with these dumplings cut with string. Sometimes she made venison sometimes beef. The best dish we had was when we went to Czech with her and my friend's mom made us dinner. Nothing like meat with a good gravy with the dumplings to soak up that meat/gravy. Now just gotta find the meat gravy recipe befitting the knedliky.
In the Czech Republic, "all purpose flour" is definitely not used (I would say that most Czechs have no idea what it is.) We usually use so-called semi-coarse, or rather coarse wheat flour. Thanks for your perfect cooking approach and style .. :)
Yes, the correct (coarse) flour is super important.
That's why he's substituting half of it with that semolina-like product. Semi-course or course flower pretty much doesn't exist outside Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and perhaps Germany ...
@@TomisaburoRMizugawa the process Chef John described reminds me of Indian atta. It's flour milled in stones, which generate heat, which in turn damage the starch and protein in the flour. Sounds similar to baked ground flour, no?
@@TomisaburoRMizugawa I'm from N.Macedonia, we have coarse flour. it's called "Griz". My mom (polish descent) uses it to make knedli.
@@zesky6654 Good to know if I ever manage to come to Macedonia :) I guess it's probably not uncommon in most Slavic countries.
When I lived in London I used to buy it in a Polish shop, it was called mąka krupczatka (I think) and it was more semi-coarse than coarse ...
Another way to use the leftovers is to cut them into cubes before reheating them as you did in butter, and then adding beaten eggs and stirring it all together until it sets, with salt and pepper
That's a Sunday dinner food. For lunch you have meat with knedlíky and sauce (gravy), leftovers with eggs for dinner 😋
I add also garlic and onion
I can’t believe you made these! My grandparents used to make these dumplings using actual white bread & served them on New Year’s day with pork loin. The recipe died with them, until now! Can’t wait to try this!!!
I had these growing up on the farm. We made them with sauerkraut or tomato sauce . My favourite was plum dumpling. They cooked the dumpling with a plum in the middle then rolled in ground poppyseed and sugar. OMG they were good!
That sound just so delicious!
My babka made slivkove gule topped with breadcrumbs fried in butter and sugar … boy did us kids love them!
My grandmother made those, however she steamed the dough that was on a old pie tin that she poked a few holes thru. I guess a steamer basket would work perfect for this, except I forgot about this awesome bread. We used to eat it with Kohlrabi Gemuese and mashed potatoes. Might need to find me some Kohlrabi for old time sakes.
I used to roast pork chops on a bed of equal parts of sauerkraut, red onion sliced , and shaved kohlrabi with 1 grated apple. Also garlic and caraway seed , and lots of pepper. I'd put it in the oven on 275°F when I left for work ( oops, covered) and it was fantastic when I got home.
@@joannebattersby8365 might work in a crock pot as well.
My grandmother steamed the dough in a tea towel over braising gemuese and sausage. (Sometimes carrot, rutabaga, cabbage, or kohlrabi) always delicious. In the morning she would slice the leftover dumpling and fry it in butter until lightly browned and served with canned fruits for breakfast. Omg 😱 so amazing.
I grew up eating these with pork chops (or loin roast) and sauerkraut. Thanks for sharing this recipe, Chef John! I will certainly given this a try soooon!
Same, but with red cabbage instead of sauerkraut
Oh my stars, I almost had teary eyes watching chef John make something from my homeland. And judging by the comments, I'm not the only one. :D We're always so happy when our tiny country gets some recognition. =)
I am Czech and I approve this message.
Chef John, it's so hard to watch your videos because every single time I do I'm left starving, even if I just ate. You are too powerful.
Your pronunciation of knedlíky just made my day
Absolutely will try the string method, I remember my Polish grandmother (Babcia, I actually thought that was her name for years) doing it that way. Thanks Chef
My family was weird - we always called my grandparents by their actual names. Basia and Jurek. 😊
😆👍
Ahh, Babci and Dziadzi - God bless their souls.
Chef John, please do a "chesnechka" - the traditional Czech garlic soup - it's one of the tastiest soups out there!
Literally perfect timing! I was just looking up how to make these last night. There’s an awesome Czech restaurant in my hometown that serves these with goulash, and since I moved away I’ve been craving it. Couldn’t find any recipes, but this looks promising! Thank you again chef John you legend!
Where is your hometown?
this brings so many memories from when I used to live in Prague!
Oh, what joy this video brought my family! We moved to the mountains of Central Europe (the Ore mountains), and these dumplings have become a favorite! You nailed it, CJ, when you highlighted the contradiction of moist and absorbent. Not only do we eat these under Goulasch (or simply fried in butter like you showed at the end), but we also put them under a fabulous pickle soup called Soljanka. My 7 year old son (big fan of Chef John) lovingly refers to that presentation style "Farting Soljanka" because as the soup fills the holes of the bread, the air is expressed. These dumplings are filling, and stretches a meal beautifully to feed a lot of people with only a little stew meat. It's so exciting to see you showing off these traditional recipes! Thank you again, Chef John. ❤️
Thank you chef John. You have perfect Praguer accent! Knedlíky rules!
Not a bad try, in Czechia the flour is coarser and usually there are more/larger bubbles than in yours. In Czechia we warm up knedliky over steam, not in a pan. Next level are potato-dough dumplings. And dumplings with embedded bread cubes (about the size of a crouton). My mom and other Czech friends complained that it is difficult to make good knedlik in US, probably because of the flour. Visit Czechia one day and taste the real deal, you will not regret.
I've never heard anyone say 'skewer' the way Chef John does. It's like "skiurh". It always catches me off-guard, the same way it does when he pronounces 'syrup' as "sirp". The man is a ball of idiosyncrasies, and I love that for us!
Right?! That and "fresssshhhhly ground." Most people would either use no emphasis, or put the emphasis on the vowel. It catches me off-guard, too, and I've watched practically all of these. ;'D
@@jennhoff03 I asked my sister, a professional linguist, what sort of dialect she thought he has, and she said "some people are just weird." She said it's called an idiolect when one person has their own unique way of speaking, for no good reason.
@@itzakpoelzig330 That's so interesting! Thank you for telling me that.
I wonder what your sister thinks of my biggest linguistic pet peeve. In Utah & California I hear people turn "-ing" into "-een." I call it Kaley Cuoco Syndrome. We all learn that i-n-g makes and "ing" sound in school, so I'm baffled that so many people just decide halfway through their lives to start pronouncing it differently.
@@jennhoff03 Ha! I don't think I've heard that one yet, or at least I haven't noticed it. Maybe I'll go watch some clips of Kaley Cuoco to see what you mean...
Chef John doing KNEDLÍKY?! this made my day and I feel so proud to be a Czech lol... :D
also believe it or not I sometimes actually fry them in butter as you did, even though it is not something that is usually done...
I have been looking for this recipe for literally decades! It was a favorite dish at a tiny family-run restaurant in Cambridge, back in the 70's. Now I can enjoy it again. Thank you!
Chef John, as a Czech who’s watching you for many years, color me impressed! 👌🏼❤️
Konečně!!! Finally!!! I'm czech and never made it. My wife will be happy when I make it.
“Kee-nee-dliiii-keeeyyyy” LOL you get an A for effort 😆👏🏻👏🏻
God, I’ve been watching Chef John for almost ten years now. Chef, your videos, your presentation were a bright light for me in a dark time. I still continue to laugh and learn at your videos!
Chef John, all I really wanted for my birthday was a freakishly small wooden spoon. Instead I received the most touching wonderful wishes from the alpha and omega of my bodega. Thank you for the many many gifts you've given me which I am so happy to share with my friends and family. I have dumplings to go make now. Much love. P.
My family in the USA has Czech ancestry. We never made this kind of knedliky. We riced potatoes and mixed them with flour, then boiled them. They tasted like potatoes. We paired them with roast pork and sauerkraut. We covered it in gravy. It tastes great! I e made the bread dumplings too, and they’re awesome! They taste great sliced and toasted too!
As a czech person, I must say, my grandma would make it the same way :) Thats a compliment
I had these several times when I was visiting the Czech Republic. I didn't think anything of them other than "wow these sure are carbs I'm eating with my delicious food". And it turns out that was exactly the correct reaction!
When I was visisting Prague, I ate the roasted duck with 3 kinds of dumplings, super delicious. Love loove czech cuisine !
My mouth was watering once the gravy went on. My grandmother made these...yum. Cannot wait to try it with goulash.
Just got back from Prague two weeks ago. This is exactly what I needed. Thanks chef John!
I spent a month in Prague and this brings back such good memories! I ought to make some.
I remember calling my mom to check the right thickness of the dough … this type of dough may be tricky, but you did well!
My dad was Czech and my mom was German. Mom made these in a football shape, and served them with either Rouladen or Saurbraten. I can taste them, watching this video, and may just have to pull out mom's old recipe and make them very soon! Oh, and dad pronounced it "Kned-licky"
Dumplings & gravy are 2 of my most favorite food groups.
There’s an old czech pub near my house in London, UK. Used to be a place for czech soldiers to hang during ww2. They serve the best bread dumplings with duck or braised pork and sauerkraut. I find myself craving these about 4 times a week so now I can finally make them at home and stop giving the pub my life savings.
Also, to leave a bit more serious comment:
My mom makes the dough softer, then she makes it into a round shape so that it fits the pot better, and she steams it on a rack in the pot. I saw the toothpick pricking method for the first time in my life - our knedliky never went soggy or anything.
We also use the string cutting method (or just a chef's knife when I am feeling lazy).
If you make the dough with more fluffy and delicate texture steaming is way to go and traditional I think. The shape Chef John made is also very traditional but total pain to steam or cook at home in a pot so it is totally OK to make multiple shorter pieces.
Unflavored dental floss makes the best cutting string, it's very thin and unlike sewing thread, never breaks.
Sir, you've done it right! They look as fantastic as they should.
Btw. standard way to reheat them is over boiling water on a steamer insert. Your method looks quite sacrilegious but suspiciously delicious.
Thank you for making! My family is of Czech heritage but I’ve never had these in America. I’ve seen these in tourist videos and was baffled at these bread looking dumplings. Now I understand! I hope to try one day the food from my family background.
I loved the quote "contractual obligated photos" which cracked me up! My Czech grandma would approve 👍
My mom used to make these and I loved them! Thank you for the recipe and all the giggles along the way, you are too funny!
It was just as enjoyable reading the comments section and people reminiscing about their childhood and Czeck food.
“Kuh--Ned-licky” needs a good goulash recipe too, please!
He's got one!
I absolutely love Czech dumplings! When in Prague, I only get meals with these dumplings (usually goulashes). The texture is so unique but I rarely see them here in the US. I have heard they’re basically steamed bread but appreciate your recipe.
yes, one kind is basicaly steamed bread, then there are others which are made so that u cut already baked bread into cubes and make steamed dumpling out of that with egg and parsley, those are super delicious too, try them next time you here :) its called Karlovarské knedlíky (carlsbad dumplings)
0:42
Me who only understands Celsius: that's a *very* warm bath
I'll be in Prague next month! will make these for sure!😊😊
Always a special treat when you post a new video, Chef. Your videos inspired me to start cooking early into highschool, I've been out of culinary school for a few years now and love every minute of it. Thanks John.
Some of my favorite dumplings! Thank you
I love your sense of humor!!🤗🤗🤗
The way that these were described to me by my czech friend is that they were developed by peasants who needed to figure out how to reused bread scraps/old bread that wasnt palatable.
So they would cut or tear the undesirable bread into pretty tiny pieces (between 1cm and 1inch cubes) and throw those in the dumpling dough. Between the boiling in salt water and smothering with gravy/sauces/braising liquid, they became filling and tastey- way better than just throwing out the old bread.
Again, this is anecdotal at best, but according to him, that is what knedliky was originally made for: to repurpose stale bread and make it good again.
That's a bit of a different recipe, but I'd argue it's even better than the plain dough version.
Ive been following Chef John's cooking adventures for years and its beyond amazing to see him do a recipe from my homeland and not only that he also got the spelling and pronunciation right !
You’re just incredible Chef John. Thank you!
I'm so glad you posted this! Was hoping for a good recipe on how to make :)
Every time my wife and I go to Prague we eat these. Fantastic.
Dear Chef , nicely done for your first time try. The most popular pairing for Knedlik is a dish called Svickova na smetane . It’s beef tenderloin in a root vegetable and cream sauce. It’s quite time consuming and labour intensive, but the result is wonderful. Silky, soft and very flavourful. It’s arguably the pride of Czech cuisine.
These latest videos make me so happy! I have Czech heritage, but because my great-grandfather's parents died when he was young, a lot of the recipes and traditions were lost. I've found, though, that I really like Czech and Eastern European food, so I love finding recipes to try.
Ok, Karlovarske knedliky next please ! :-)
Thank you, thank you Chef John …
I too grew up with these but never had the recipe until now 👍
So glad you dropped this video so soon after the Orange Chicken! I haven't had these since I was a kid, and I loved them! Can't wait to make these!
Oh I cannot wait to make these! We used to get these from a Bohemian restaurant years ago before the owners retired. I trust that your recipe will be every but as great! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
My mother does this same recipe but uses torn up white bread instead of flour. Yummy!
Just white bread, no flour? What size pieces?
She uses all of the other ingredients except the yeast and flour. She just tears them up like for stuffing. I add chopped cooked bacon and alittle onion to mine wait till they have cooled and fry them just like chef John did at the end of the video. Yummy!
The bread ones (plus herbs) are called karlovarske knedliky
Hey that sounds like the German bread Knödel, or Semmelknödel
@@SvobodovaEva kind of yeah, I think the nuance is what binds everything together - for "houskove knedliky" it's still milk + flour, whereas for "karlovarske" it's whipped egg whites
Your the Man!!! I will make this on Thursday!!
Thanks Chef John!!!
I really liked how easy and quick you made it! It’s excellent!💥💯❤
The last time I enjoyed these dumplings was at a now-long-closed restaurant here in Omaha that specialized in serving a half of roast duck with kraut and these dumplings all smothered in gravy...it was absolutely DIVINE!
Now I can make my own!
Thank you, Chef John!
I know these as "Böhmische Knödel" (Bohemian Dumplings). My late grandmother made them, when I was little. They are really great.
Thanks John! I have made a version of your beef goulash and been looking for the recipie for knedlicky on one sunday (no market open to buy loaf of that) to use them with said goulash. Only one Czech lady made a proper one on CZcams but now I got full package and your recipie as well :D after 15 years your chanel is complete :D
You recipes are awesome, your humor had me laughing out loud and your style is classy! Thank you!
Oh I love your commentary it's so entertaining and informative 😊
Thank you so much for this recipe. Bread dumplings have always been one of my favorite side dishes. Being a native of Chicago I've been enjoying bread dumplings served with pork roast my entire life, but I never knew how to make them myself.
Another great video! You can handle all kinds of dishes regardless of their origin!
I'm glad to see you're back
My husband’s family is Czech, we often have this dish for family dinners. Often served with a sauce made with puréed carrots.
Looks great👍🏼. Reminds me of grams drop dumpling texture. Cant wait to try.
I loooooove dumplings, will have to give these a shot!!!
Some classic Chef John right here.
I had this many times in the Czech Republic, it's wonderful, inexpensive, tons of variations, always delicious
My mother was Slovak and made these to go with pot roast & gravy, or even her chicken paprikash. She left two strings under them and over the edge of the pot to lift them with. Then cut them after cooling a bit. Light and tender!
In my family we make a holiday version where the milk gets scalded and then cooled with butter, and we add chunks of day old bread toasted in more butter to the dough
When my grandma came to visit in America she would make this with mushroom gravy oh I miss that so much. ❣️
Leftover knedlíky are often tear up and fried up together with eggs!
Chef John, are you in my dreams? I just ate this last week at a food event and they are delicious.
There is also version of knedlik, call Karlovarský knedlík which is made with old white bread and parsley with a little nutmag.
Oh my gosh. We had gravy bread when I was a kid! I had forgotten all about it. Mom was first generation English/Danish. Seems a lot of people ate gravy on bread during the depression. It’s so yummy :)
Years ago had these in a great restaurant in Seattle. They weren’t on the menu, but one of our party was friends with the chef/owner. Superb is an understatement to how good they were.